Emotional intelligence (EI) is an integral part of the sales process. It is the ability to understand our own emotions and the emotions of others. In today’s ever-changing business environment, having a high degree of emotional intelligence is a key factor in the success of a salesperson. Research has consistently shown that high emotional intelligence improves sales performance, customer service, and job satisfaction. Below, we discuss the top reasons why emotional intelligence matters in sales.
- Building Relationships
The foundation of successful sales is a strong relationship between the buyer and the seller. If you’re selling a product or service, you’re likely to have a lot of competition, so having strong interpersonal and communication skills is key to standing out from the competition.
Salespeople who are high in emotional intelligence have the ability to quickly read people’s emotions and develop a real connection with them. This means they’re able to identify what their customer values, needs, and desires and help them find solutions accordingly.
- Handling Objections and Difficult Conversations
Objections are an inevitable part of the sales process. Experienced salespeople use emotional intelligence to identify and address objections before they become an issue.
High emotional intelligence makes it easier to assess the needs of a customer, determine the best course of action and take the right steps to address their concerns. For example, salespeople can use active listening and empathetic communications to calmly and proactively address customer objections.
- Resilience During Setbacks & Stress
Sales is a roller coaster. It can often be challenging, stressful, and disappointing. The sales process involves a lot of rejections and failed attempts. But, salespeople who are resilient and have a high degree of emotional intelligence are able to overcome these obstacles and stay motivated.
Emotional intelligence enables sales reps to remain focused on their goals, respond to feedback objectively, and rebound from mistakes or failures quickly.
- Self-Awareness
Emotional intelligence includes the ability to recognize and understand one’s emotions. This self-awareness is essential for salespeople to understand how their behavior affects their interactions with customers and clients.
With a high degree of emotional intelligence, salespeople can assess their capabilities, strengths and weaknesses. Being self-aware also helps to identify any potential areas of improvement or opportunities for growth.
- Active Listening
Salespeople need to be able to listen for the buying signals in conversations. It’s not enough to be a talker; successful salespeople need to be great listeners. Emotional intelligence enhances active listening, which allows sales reps to really hear what the customer is saying and unearth the needs and concerns of their buyer.
By actively listening to customers, sales reps can better understand the customer’s perspective, discover pain points and address potential objections before they arise.
- Leverage Strengths
High emotional intelligence allows salespeople to identify their strengths and focus on improving areas of weakness. By understanding their capabilities, they can focus on leveraging their strengths and invest in developing their weak areas.
For example, if a salesperson has a great understanding of the customer needs and sales process, but is not great at presentations, they can focus on improving their presentation skills. On the other hand, if a salesperson is uncomfortable with cold calling, they can focus more attention on using their existing network or engaging in referral marketing.
Emotional intelligence plays a major role in sales success. Not only does it help us build relationships, handle objections, and become resilient through difficult conversations, but it also gives us the self-awareness required to better identify our strengths and weaknesses. By taking the time to develop our emotional intelligence, we can gain a better understanding of the people we are dealing with and improve our sales performance.